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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23507245">the time has come</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizaeverafter/pseuds/elizaeverafter'>elizaeverafter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Non-Graphic Pet Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:07:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23507245</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizaeverafter/pseuds/elizaeverafter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The second Dean walked into their home, he should’ve picked up on the fact that something was wrong. Looking back on it, it was so silent that it was suffocating. There was an unnatural stillness, like their house knew something bad had happened and was trying not to involve itself.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the time has come</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this as a tribute to my deceased bird. please leave kudos &amp; comments if you enjoyed :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The second Dean walked into their home, he should’ve picked up on the fact that something was wrong. Looking back on it, it was so silent that it was suffocating. There was an unnatural stillness, like their house knew something bad had happened and was trying not to involve itself.</p><p>Dean hung his keys by the hooks in the hallway, toeing off his boots because Cas liked to keep a clean house. He was whistling a tune that he’d picked up from Benny at work, who had picked it up from his girlfriend Andrea, who had been listening to the radio yesterday. It was definitely some overrated nonsensical pop-y song, but damn, it was catchy.</p><p>“Babe?” Dean called out, making his way into the kitchen. They had a few hours before dinnertime, and he was in the mood for a sandwich.</p><p>No response.</p><p>“Cas?” He tried again.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>Dean frowned, clambering up the steps, socked feet thumping loud without any noise to detract from them. He walked to the bedroom, finding it empty and exactly as he’d left it in the morning. There was no sign of his husband.</p><p>Getting worried now because Dean was sure he’d seen Cas’ car in the driveway, he stormed through the rest of the rooms and bathrooms, even checking the closets in case Cas had somehow decided to set up camp there. “Castiel?” He shouted, his voice strained.</p><p>The empty rooms seemed to stare at him mockingly.</p><p>His heart pounding, Dean dashed down the stairs. There were only so many places Cas could be in their home, and Dean was freaking out a bit now. He gave a cursory glance to their tiny backyard and sighed in relief when he noticed Cas’ figure on the porch steps.</p><p>Opening the screen door, that relief quickly disappeared when he realized that his husband was visibly shaking, head in his hands.</p><p>“Cas? What happened?” Dean rushed to comfort him, wrapping his arms around his frame.</p><p>Cas hunched over, his face buried into Dean’s jacket as tears soaked through the material. He was making little gasping noises every few seconds, and his breathing was fragmented.</p><p>“Babe?” Dean put a hand in his husband’s hair, trying to provide some form of solace. “Please tell me what’s wrong, Cas. I gotta know.”</p><p>Cas sniffled twice and, in a thick voice, said, “Anna died.”</p><p>It took a second for Dean’s brain to process what he had said, but then it clicked. That’s what had been missing when he’d entered the house: Anna’s chirping and squacks. The colorful bird was smaller than Dean’s hand, but made a racket that covered the ground to the attic. And now she was dead.</p><p>Dean furrowed his brow. “When did this happen, Cas?”</p><p>By now, his husband had stopped crying, but he kept himself plastered to Dean, breathing hard against Dean’s neck. Cas mumbled, “I came home from work at my usual time, and I went to go greet her and give her a treat. But she wasn’t making any noise, and when I looked in her cage,” he took a labored breath, pausing for a few seconds and squeezing Dean’s free hand, “she was lying on the floor of her cage. I called to her and even opened the cage, but she didn’t move.”</p><p>“Oh, Cas,” Dean murmured, keeping his husband tight against his chest. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Cas pulled away, and Dean finally got a view of his bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked face. His heart hurt seeing Cas upset like this. When they’d been standing at the altar in front of their friends and family, Dean had promised Cas that he would do everything in his power to not let a single tear fall from his eyes. Not even two years later, and Dean had failed in his mission.</p><p>Cas wiped a hand across his face, saying, “I don’t even know what happened, you know? Anna was perfectly fine this morning when I woke up, and she was healthy when we had a checkup at the vet’s a month ago...I don’t know what I did wrong.”</p><p>Cas’ face crumpled, and Dean’s heart practically dropped to his stomach. He gently held Cas’ face in his hands, forcing Cas to meet his gaze. “You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You took better care of that bird than you did of yourself, y’hear me? Anna was old, we knew that when we adopted her.”</p><p>Cas quickly interrupted, his face equally pale and blotchy, “Dean, she didn’t even spend two months with us! She probably hated us, hated me.”</p><p>“Cas,” Dean warned, “you know that’s total bullshit. Anna loved you. If there was anyone she had mean feelings for, it was me. Remember the time it took me forty minutes to get her back in her cage?”</p><p>Cas’ lips twitched. “Yes, and then you had to threaten her with a baseball bat.”</p><p>Dean acted defensive, playing it up for Cas’ sake, “Okay, first of all, I didn’t threaten, I <em>coaxed</em> her. And you know damn well it was a toy bat.”</p><p>“<em>She</em> didn’t know that!” Cas gave a weak laugh, a small smile breaking out on his face. He sighed, looking past the screen door and into the house. Dean followed his gaze to where Anna’s cage was covered with a blanket.</p><p>“Her feathers were so lovely. I’m going to miss her,” Cas admitted softly.</p><p>“I know you will. I will too. But we gotta remind ourselves that she lived a good life. All those years with Garth and Beth, and a fucking fantastic two months with us.” Dean tried to lighten the mood again.</p><p>“Yeah, you’re right. I’m still in grief, though.”</p><p>“That’s okay, Cas. Take your time; I got nowhere I’d rather be.”</p><p>And with that, Cas nestled back into his husband’s arms, staring out into their backyard. The minutes passed, the only sounds of life being the rustle of bushes and the singing of birds. They watched the sun as it reached out towards the horizon, the sky lighting up in shades of pink and orange.</p><p>“Dean?”</p><p>“Yeah, sweetheart?”</p><p>Cas hesitated. “Can you be the one who buries Anna? I don’t want to see her like that.”</p><p>Dean pressed a kiss into dark hair, humming under his breath. “I’d be honored to.”</p><p>It seemed like he said the right thing, because Cas just rubbed Dean’s back gently and whispered a thank you.</p>
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